Hairline Fractures
by ForevermoreNevermore
Summary: Sequel to Dislocations. With Xald out of the way, Roy hopes that everything can return to normal. Too bad the only person he met in Kenter decides he wants to show up, dead, in Edward's path. Literally.
1. Drip

_Wow, a sequel... I shock myself. ^^ Well, to all you people who liked Dislocations, I hope you enjoy this one._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.

* * *

_

It was quick, a swish of fabric, known to be navy blue like that fateful night's sky, then a rumbling voice, heavy and strangely comforting… well, to his mind anyway. "You, Xald Stevens, have been charged with nine counts of premeditated murder, and one count of attempted murder of an officer, who is a minor. How do you plead?"

His mind had the answer and he had no reason to doubt it. The man felt his mouth curve upward in a grin before chuckling, "guilty." Through the blindfold, he could practically see his judging officer's disgusted face. He'd seen it on everyone. That blasted man, _Roy_, and his blond prize… _Edward._

"Then, there is no reason for any vote." The sound of the guns being readied was one he'd known was coming all his life, and, of course, the faces of every one of those officers holding those guns. Oh… they tried to steel their faces, but their disgust always, _always_ shone out in their eyes. It was a look that everyone held once they knew him.

Except his followers.

F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~

"Aw man!" Edward gave a sharp curse, then ducked his head behind a book as everyone in the library turned to look at the ill-tempered, foul-mouthed child who'd been cursing all day. He glanced at his index finger and stuck it in his mouth, sucking the iron-flavored blood from his mouth. _Water, carbon, salt…_

"Heeeeeeeey!" An arm looped itself around the young boy's neck, drawing him out of his paperwork and scaring him nearly out of his seat. His foot, which had been hooked delicately around the foot of the chair, jerked forward and the sharp edge jammed into the bandage wrapped firmly around the still-bleeding gunshot wound. It shot a sharp jolt of pain up Edward's spine and he bent over, hunching like a gargoyle before glaring at his untimely attacker.

"Maaaaes…" He growled evenly and dangerously. His mouth opened again, this time to yell at the man, but the elder quickly put a comforting hand on his head and winked.

"Me and my _daughter_ just came to say hi," obviously, this was Hughes' way of threatening him if he even so much as mouthed a cuss word in front of his darling Angel. "And isn't she just the cutest little bug in a rug? She's grown sooo much since the last time you'd seen her!" He was still gushing when Elicia interrupted and spoke directly to the Fullmetal Alchemist.

"Edward," her voice still held the childish element of slurring together sounds, reminding him of another little girl, who met an all-too untimely of an end. Edward lowered his head a bit so he was more even with her and could look her directly in overly large eye. "Are you okay?" Edward froze for a moment, shocked that Hughes' had shared with such innocent young ears what had happened. "Daddy told me you fell down the stairs." _Ah._

"Oh, I'm fine. But I think your father needs to understand that people in _my condition_," he ground out the words in the direction of the overprotective man, "don't like being sneaked up on." The prodigy felt the Lieutenant Colonel's gaze soften.

"Elicia, why don't you go ask Sciezka if there are any kid books?" Edward glanced up to see the mousy ex-librarian hovering at a distance near the bookshelves. _This is a military library…_ "Are you really okay?" he had asked once the small blonde had given the young lady a running hug and they had disappeared among the shelves. For some reason, Edward knew that was coming.

"Oh yeah, sure. I think you making me ram my leg into the chair made things all the better."

Maes ran an embarrassed hand through his coal hair, "sorry about that." Edward snorted, and after a moment of silence, started absently reading a file again. "You know we miss you back at Central." The silence that followed obviously encouraged the man to speak more. "Especially Roy." Edward raised his golden eyes to meet that of the family man's. "Doesn't have anyone to pester."

"Of course. That man can't go a day without putting himself up on a pedestal by knocking me down a few pegs." As soon as he said it, he saw Hughes face change as he tried to hold in the retort. _Set myself up for that one,_ he inwardly cringed. "Oh shut up."

"Riza's having a heck of a time trying to keep his head proportional to the rest of his body." Hughes continued conversationally.

"A dart-shooter would have a tough time doing that."

The dark-haired man gave a jovial laugh, "in fact, she's about ready to just kill the guy."

Edward slammed his manila file shut. "Well I'm about ready to shove this file…"

"Daddy!"

"… In my briefcase." He finished as Elicia came running over, pouncing on the man's lap and prompting a heavy whoosh of breath. "Think I'm going to head home for the night." As Edward rose, Hughes mimicked, holding his girl in his arms.

"Why don't you come over, we can grab Al on the way. My gorgeous wife is making us one amazing dinner tonight." He paused and bounced a bit, adjusting Elicia in his grasp. "And Elicia thinks you look underfed."

Just as Edward was about to decline, saying he had too much work, Elicia turned to glance at him. A scowl decorated her face, but it was the kind of scowl where she puffed her cheeks out like a monkey and tried to look mad and scolding, probably like her mother. "Yeah, Edward, you're too small!" Edward bit his tongue almost in half trying to withhold a retort; he knew she obviously meant skinny. "You need to eat so you can groooow!" her face changed to childish joy and she spread her arms in an imitation of a tree spreading its limbs. "So you can be as tall as Daddy!" _Or… maybe she really meant small._

"Hey! I'm just not done growing yet!" he argued, obviously having met his match in the mind of a baby. She nodded with all the sarcasm a child could muster.

"C'mon Edward." Hughes' placating voice calmed him down. "Just this dinner. It's not like we get to see you all that often."

"Oh fine…"

F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~

The files had stacked up. Altogether, there were a total of 29 of them, and as they were stacked atop one another, they created a leaning tower, defying gravity enough to impress anyone. Roy took a lazy sip of his coffee before casting a trained eye at the stack. If he judged it right, he could get every one of them signed and passed before he had to leave that night.

With a trained ear, and somewhat of a 6th sense, he predicted Riza's arrival in _3… 2…_ he snatched a file off the top of the stack and plucked a pen, _…1_

The door creaked open and the blonde entered, her eyes closed in their somber manner and her mouth a firm line. "Sir."

"Hawkeye," he acknowledged, dutifully reading over the file.

"So, are you finally doing your work?" she floated over to hover behind him as she read the file. He felt her tense behind him.

"What's wrong?" She made no movement, her eyes stayed attracted to the paper. Tentatively, he actually began to read what had been typed. '_…Lieutenant Colonel Mustang led the unauthorized rescue of one State Alchemist, Edward Elric, from the Mayor of Kenter, Xald Stevens…'_ he felt bile rise in his throat.

F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~

Edward put a stack of books as tall as Elicia on the front desk, leaving it up to the lady in charge to return them. Collecting his folders and notebooks in a pile, he slid them into a small leather bag and slung it over his automail shoulder. He had been in there for hours, and he had just now realized how late it was and how stagnant the air was. The Fullmetal Alchemist limped over to where his friends were standing at the door of the library. _Freaking bullet. Freaking stubborn steak. _

Hughes opened the door and stepped outside, holding it for Sciezka and Edward. Elicia hung onto the loose material of her father's jacket, her little fist creating small waves in it.

The golden haired boy inhaled deeply, getting as much of the cool, evening air into his lungs as possible, hoping to chase out the dusty, library air. He winced as it aggravated the ceaselessly throbbing stitch in his side. Absently, he heard the door close behind them, it suctioned lightly and a wave of lukewarm air washed over him. It smelt exactly like it did a minute ago… but the cold air carried a distinctly different scent.

_Water… carbon… salt…_

F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~

Mustang let his head loll, jet eyes landing in the palms of is hands. "Why do they give me all the crap?" he muttered to himself. Riza had left him, then returned wither her promised refill of coffee, then disappeared again. _Total damage: numerous small lacerations, two bullet wounds, a broken ankle, possible concussion, and possible need of therapy._

Slowly moving a palm, he stared down at the paper. A blank line ogled up at him, begging him to sign it. He groaned and grabbed the pen, blindly spelling out his name. _Finally, this case is done. It's in the freaking past._

F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~

It fell, but not before it's crimson blood. It dripped down, stopping the four in their tracks. Then the body followed. It rolled from somewhere, falling from the sky like a demented stork had left it. The body landed with a sickening and moist thump, prompting blood to splatter up. Edward felt the red liquid on his cheek, but ignored it as the man's grayed head turned to stare at him with wide-open, glazed eyes. Elicia, who had probably had her eyes covered the moment Hughes sensed something, did nothing but let out an aggravated grunt. Sciezka, on the other hand, saw it all, and let out a scream that fell heavily on Edward's throbbing head.

"Edward, go in and call Roy."

F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~

It rang. Endlessly rang and finally Roy realized it wasn't just his harried imagination. He slammed a hand on the phone, took a deep breath, and then picked it up. "Hello?" his voice was bored and tired, slightly drunk from the lack of sleep.

"Mustang." It was Edward. "You need to get down here to the library." His voice was tired, probably a vocal mirror of Roy's. There was a cacophony of noise the background, but it blended too well to make any distinctions.

"What's wrong?" Then a thought hit him and he let out a pained grunt. "You _didn't_ really blow it up, did you?"

Edward gave a snarking laugh. "You're lazy and I'm sure you have selective hearing, but I like to give you more credit than that, wouldn't you hear an explosion?" he left no break for an answer. "There's a dead body down here." Mustang bit back the urge to ask if he'd called the boy short.

"Fine…" and he hung up. He stood up and put on his blue jacket, making sure he looked presentable before leaving his office. "Hawkeye, there are reports of a dead body down at the library. I'm going to go check it out and I'll call you if it's really something." Riza's amber eyes flickered before she nodded.

"Okay, be careful." It only took the Lieutenant Colonel about five minutes to get downtown. As he stepped out of his ride, the sun was setting, casting the scene in a rosy glow. There were a few policemen outside, and Hughes was talking to the biggest of them. Edward, the only one sitting aside, sat on the handrail; his hurt ankle set in a precarious position that must've been comfortable. His usually golden hair looked more hot pink now, and his fair skin brown in the shadow of his bangs. His face was somber and he stared down at the body. His expression was pensive, and there was a small puddle of blood collecting by his hurt ankle.

Roy, who hated to disturb him when he was in one of his truly quiet moments (for why waste those precious few moments), quietly came up and stood beside him.

"What happened to your ankle?" Edward gave a sniff before adjusting the way he was sitting.

"I had to get up on the roof somehow," at Roy's confused expression, he explained. "He fell off the roof. I figured that the killer might still be there, but I didn't see anyone. Must've aggravated the dang thing."

Mustang, who wanted to chide the young man for being careless and stupid, merely resorted to a question, "Anybody you know?" Edward's face never changed, as he shook it no. The Flame Alchemist easily maneuvered around the body so he could get a good look at the face. He hunkered down to stare at the face, and was stricken by what he saw. _Why is he, all the way over here in Central?_

Edward must've noticed the change in the alchemist. "Did you know him?" Roy nodded a yes, but didn't really know how to explain exactly how. It wasn't a good thing, he knew that much, but he didn't know what just how bad it was.

The Flame Alchemist sensed Hughes hunkering down beside him, an eyebrow arched curiously. "He was a man from back in Kenter," he sensed the tension growing in the air as he stared into the man's dulled eyes, not that big of a change from their nervous originals. "He told me that you were with the mayor. He's the reason I found you…"

* * *

_Yes, I understand this chapter is kind of jumpy, weird to read. But if you picture it like a movie, I think it would make more sense. I hope you enjoyed it! As for the water, carbon, and salt, I don't know if that is really the ingredients in blood, I just took some of them from Ed's little monologue about what's in a body. _


	2. Choke

_I'm SO sorry. -.- It was an extra-long haitus, but I'm happy to say I'm not dead! \*^o^;/ I hope you enjoy this chapter... and again I'm sorry. I want to thank everyone who stuck with me, even though I all but fell off the side of the Earth.  
_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. All rights belong to it's respectful owner.

* * *

  
_

_"You mean to tell me that this man, this __**dead**__ man, is the only person you met in Kenter. The only person who came to talk to a frikkin' army?"_ Roy stared as the rest of the cops left the scene, leaving only a somber Sciezka holding a sleeping Elicia, Hughes, Edward, and himself. The scene had been thoroughly checked, turned over, and the sun, which was setting when he arrived, was now rising, it's glowing bald face rising above the buildings. The only reason Elicia had stayed (after many arguments from Hughes) was because they needed to hear her point of view. _Because of course, the point of view of a little girl who saw nothing is going to help things right along._

"How do you think that guy got here?" Ed asked, coming up beside him. Roy heard him, but he didn't answer. He had many different ideas to how he got there, and none of them boded well for the blond boy beside him. "Earth to Mustang…" Roy zoned in to notice Ed pawing at his arm like a cat.

"Oh, I really don't know." His eyes dropped to the ground, the blood had already dried up around the edges of the puddles, creating crimson stains on the darkened sidewalk, turned dirty brown from the rain two days ago. "Maybe a stork brought him."

The silence showed that his levity wasn't appreciated. "Some sick stork."

"Yeah, try saying that five times fast," Hughes interjected, his attempt at humor lightening the mood whereas Roy's didn't. "We've checked all of the grounds near the area, but there was nothing of any particular evidence. It was like the guy was sitting on the roof when he died. No blood trails on the ground surrounding the library, no way to jump across. The nearest building is 50 feet away…"

"What about alchemy?" Edward asked, a hand cupping his chin in thought.

"What about it?" But even as Hughes asked the question, he was thinking about it.

"Wouldn't it be possible for an alchemist over there," the boy pointed over to the building, "to transmute a bridge to there," he jerked a thumb at the library. Both Mustang and Hughes glanced simultaneously at the gap aforementioned.

"It is possible," Hughes started.

"But someone would've seen it." Mustang finished.

"Not in that storm the other night," Edward argued. "When an alchemic reaction happens, it looks a lot like thunder, easily mistaken by those who don't know any better. And in the dark, who'd notice something over their heads?" The two elders exchanged glances.

"We hadn't thought of going over there to look," Hughes muttered, glancing at the building.

"And besides, there aren't a lot of people down here anyway, so it'd be easy to do something like that." _He's got a point_, Roy thought as he stared down the deserted street; deserted save for one figure running down it.

"Brother!" Alphonse called, waving a hand in the air. Edward stopped thinking and broke out in a grin.

"Hey!" he mimicked the action and hopped down the stairs, limping almost second nature now. Roy watched him leave, dread settling into the familiar position at the bottom of his stomach, simmering and hissing.

"So it's an alchemist," Roy muttered, mainly to himself but partially to his black-haired friend.

"Possibly. Does that give you any ideas?" The Flame Alchemist thought for a moment, watching the boys. The wind blew below, as it had been all night, blowing Al's ribbon out behind him and catching Edward's braid playfully.

"Not really."

F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~

"I'm telling you, he just fell from the roof like a frikkin' boulder!" Ed emphasized his point by thrusting his automail arm up in the direction of the ledge. He opened his mouth to speak, but the wind blew his braid into his mouth. With a coughing gag he spat it out and swiped it over his shoulder with a muttered 'stupid braid'.

"So, as soon as you walked out of the library, it just fell?" the younger Elric asked, his voice slightly shocked.

"Yup, scared the crap out of Sciezka," he glanced up at the mousy librarian, who in turn glared down at him as she heard the statement.

"Not all of us get used to that kind of stuff!" she sniffed, adjusting her hold on Elicia and her glare giving way for a small pout. Edward gave a shrug to his brother, who gave a chuckle in response.

"Do you know who killed him?"

"Not a clue," he muttered, slightly sobered now. "But we think that it was an alchemist."

"Why?"

"Because, all other ways of getting up there have been eliminated, the only way left is alchemy."

"Well, guess that cuts the amount of people who could've done it in half," Al reasoned, optimistic as always. Ed chanced a glance at the building closest to the library, then bit the inside of his lip. "Unless there were two of them." Ed paused for a moment and then his eyes widened comically.

"AL!!!!" Then he practically deflated, closing his eyes and sighing. "Just when we thought we were getting somewhere…"

F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~

The ride back to Central was quiet, save for the hum of the car as it maneuvered through the streets. Roy let his eyes roam over the passing buildings without seeing anything. _Just when I thought I could get rid of this case. Just when I thought it would leave and just… die. _It was just him and Hughes in the car, Edward had left with his brother. _Its back! And he was probably the only person in that God forsaken town that would cooperate. But then again, his was the only door I knocked on. _The car hit a pothole, but Mustang only vaguely felt it.

"Do you think that we should go check in Kenter?" from Hughes' agitated tone, it was possible that he'd repeated that phrase more than once, but the alchemist was only just hearing it.

"It's possible," but those two words seared at his tongue and he knew it was the last thing he thought he 'should' do. "But do you think they would even let us go?"

"Maybe… I know they'd let me go, and I'm sure I could pull a few strings to let you come." Roy nodded, but knew that he really didn't want to go. "I know it's probably the last place you want to go," _now that's just uncanny… _"but if we go and look around up there, we might be able to put this thing to rest, once and for all."

"Sounds all right. How soon do you think we can get this taken care of?" Roy asked as they pulled up to the big building, the car pulling to a stop. They stepped out and closed the door, rejoining together before Hughes answered.

"I can start on it as soon as we get in there, since it is part of my current case. I see no reason for anyone to stop me."

"Anything I can do?"

"Nah, you'd just get in the way. You just go relax in that posh little office of yours and I'll take care of the grunt work." Hughes answered with a grin, a glint in his eyes. Roy shook his head softly and the two fell into a companionable silence as they mounted the steps. They continued on in their own thoughts until they hit the spot where they separated like a river around a rock. "Don't worry. This case will get taken care of. And he was probably just at the wrong place at the wrong time." Roy simply nodded before turning and heading for his office. He raised a hand at Hawkeye as he passed, then gently pushed open the door. His office was just as he left it, a mess.

And a leaning tower of paperwork, due yesterday.

With a groan and a curse thrown out, he sat in his chair, reached for a file, and promptly fell asleep, his forehead taking the place where his signature should've been.

_"What are you doing?" it was a lilting voice; mocking and singsong. "Aren't you going to kill me?" It was a dark room, only Mustang and the other man. Said man was in a chair, his hands tied behind his back and a blindfold over his eyes. Mustang stood stoic, a gun in his hands, aimed at the man._

_ A blindfold cinching around his hair, giving Roy the vague impression that this was how he must've looked before he firing squad. Probably said the same dang thing…_

_ "What's the hold-up? Aren't you afraid I'm going to get my prize back? Go ahead, eliminate that chance. Get rid of that paranoid feeling you know that blond is feeling, always looking over his shoulder, scared I'm going to come back." There was a chuckle, and it proved to be an unstoppable laugh as it encroached upon his words, making the man sounds psychotic. "Dead men can't keep promises."_

_**"Ah, you seem to misunderstand me. You get the prize, but you don't get to keep the prize."**_

_Mustang let out a growl, his finger cinching around the trigger. For a moment he paused, staring down the man who he knew was staring back at him, even though blindfolded. His finger twitched and then…_

"Sir." Mustang, who had always been a light sleeper, jerked awake, his eyes blinking and his throat dry. Immediately he took in his surroundings: opened file, swaying pile of files, perturbed Hawkeye. "Here's a file for you." She sat it down on his arms that were still on his desk, they had been cushions for his head. "It's from Lieutenant Colonel Hughes." Roy paused for a moment and stared down at the file, unsure if he was awake.

"How long ago was it that I came in here?" he asked, his voice heavy with sleep. His eyes slid over to Hawkeye, who had a fond glimmer in her eyes.

"Oh, it's been about six hours."

"Six hours? You let me sleep for six hours?"

"I figured you could do with some rest," her stone-cold logic was softer than usual.

"You never gave me the rest before," he muttered, running a hand through his hair and opening the file.

"You were usually suffering from a hangover. An ibuprofen and some water can cure that. What you needed today was sleep." She sniffed back, not to continue the argument, but to end it.

Roy grunted just to have the benefit of the last word, then began reading the paper. First with satisfaction, he read, then with growing dread and livid anger. Calmly, his arm snaked out for the phone and calmly he told the operator.

"I need to speak to Lieutenant Colonel Hughes." There was a moment of brief silence that was filled only by Hawkeye's radiating curiosity.

"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes." He answered his voice heavy.

"Maes…" Roy let the one word, uttered as placidly as possible, hold as much venom as he could have with his friend.

"I guess you got the paper huh?" the man asked, somehow managing to shrink from the phone. It was obvious that he knew that he was probably going to die soon.

"Why is he coming?" _Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang, The Flame Alchemist, and his subordinate The Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric will accompany Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes to… _"Why are they sending him with us?"

There was a sigh on the other end of the line. "I don't know. I tried everything I could. Heck, I didn't even say his name! I just got the paper from the secretary, who was typing it up, and it said that. I knew you'd be mad, that's why I had Hawkeye give it to you." Hughes paused for a moment. "I know you'd never kill a pretty girl."

"Good call." he sighed, deflated for the moment. "Is there any way to undo this?"

There was a coughing laugh on the other end of the line. "Don't you think I tried before I gave you that paper? I know what happened down there, and I care about the boy just as much as you do." Roy flinched, never having actually voiced his feelings for the diminutive blond. Didn't seem… right. "I knew it would hurt you too, so I gave it my all and I couldn't even get in there to talk to the guy."

"Well then, _I'm_ going to go talk to the guy and he'll wish he'd talked to you." Roy made to hang up, but was stopped by Maes.

"But, if we do end up taking him, couldn't we just lock him in a suitcase?"

F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~

There was a lull in the conversation, an opportunity Edward took to eat a hulking chunk of his steak. Al watched as a waiter walked past, staring at the brother as he ate at record speeds.

"Hungry?" he asked, watching as Edward gave him a glare and mumbled something through the food. "Brother! Stop talking with your mouth full." Ed paused and swallowed thickly, then spoke again.

"Don't chastise me."

"Why do you eat so much?" Al paused and he stared smugly at his brother. "So u can grow?" Al asked, his voice literally laughing. Ed paused and gnashed his fork.

"I do _not_ need to grow anymore." he poked his fork in the general direction of the sky before chomping down on it with another hunk of meat dripping on the prongs. He continued to mutter dangerously through mouthfulls of food and glare daggers at his brother. Al couldn't help but watch his brother with good humor until he inhaled a particularly large piece of meat and choked on it. The fork hung out of his mouth for a moment before falling into his plate, his eyes widening and the slamming of two palms; one metal one flesh on the table.

"Oh brother…"

Back where the two were staying, it was a different scene. Al was rummaging through the kitchen for something, while Ed was resting on the couch, running his automail hand over the skin on his side where the bullet had hit. He'd just taken the bandage off, and needed to wrap it up, but couldn't resist the ease the cold metal on the wound brought. The little choking incident from earlier had upset it more now that his mind had no other route to explore. He felt every pain in his body.

The Fullmetal Alchemist's ankle was in a constant pain, a jaw clenching one at that. It sent shivers up his spine every time he leaned on it, but he wasn't going to let his pain show. His head was always buzzing, and when he moved it too fast, it twitched and his vision swirled. White dots usually danced in the edges of his vision, and though he was no doctor, he knew that was probably not a good thing. His side made it hard to breathe, and made going from the kitchen to the couch a worthy task. Now it throbbed, sending white-hot wavelengths to his head, which pounded and twitched in response. Every time he moved, they hurt simultaneously, like partners in crime, so his ankle was stuck in an uncomfortable position. _Stupid son of a barber._

Al's footsteps on the carpet made him look up, albeit slowly. "Brother, I found some ice in the freezer and thought you might want this." The soul-bearing suit of armor laid a small bag of ice against his brother's side, then wrapped a bandage around it, securing it in place. "It still hurts doesn't it?"

Ed quickly slipped on a carefree grin, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head leisurely and putting his feet on the coffee table, despite the screaming his body gave him. "Nah, but it would be helpful if they gave me some stronger painkillers. But noooo, they don't give 'kids' that stuff."

"Why don't you take some time off? You really need it."

Ed gave a disagreeable snort, "Why? Why do I need time off from pushing papers?"

F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~

Mustang stared at the door, ornately decorated, the gargoyles on it mocking his failed attempt. In the distance he heard a quiet 'sir', but it was nebulous and misty; like a dream. It was a tap on the shoulder that made him turn around. It was the secretary.

"Sir, I believe that file I typed up for Lieutenant Colonel Hughes needs to be acted upon immediately as it is a standing case. The three of you need to report to Kenter, to the stand-in mayor." The words caught him on unawares.

"Who's the stand-in mayor?" She paused for a moment, then turned around and flipped through some papers on her desk. Any other day he would've admired her soft chestnut hair, wide brown eyes, but today was different. Finally, she found a paper about midway through the stack, and with a few halting tugs, withdrew it.

"It says that the sheriff, Julian Conner, is standing in for mayor until somebody more suited comes along."

"Sheriff?" He didn't recall hearing about a sheriff, but Kenter had been a small little nation on it's own. Emphasis on small.

"Yes," her face contorted in thought, her mouth irking upward, her gaze traveling to the side, and her brow furrowing. "I think I heard that the sheriff and the mayor had been friends for a long time. But when the mayor was caught, he was as shocked as the rest of the town. Mad too, he was supposedly there helping with the arrest." Roy had thought he'd seen someone out of place, graying brunette with piercing blue eyes, not in the State-Issued garb of navy blue. Come to think of it, he had been at the arrest, glaring around. Glaring at Xald.

It put his mind at ease, knowing that the rest of the town was shocked to have a sadistic mayor. They had obviously known it was someone, just no one that close to home.

* * *

_Well, I hope you liked it. ^^_


	3. Titter

_Well, I am back on the writing game ^^' for the summer anyway. I can't believe how long it took me to put this up, but I think it was less then last time so I am getting better! :D Thank you for all of the reviews and favorites, I appreciate every one of them \*^o^;/ Now, thank you for sticking with me and waiting and here is le chapter!  


* * *

"Pull the trigger Mustang," He snickered from his chair, a shadow cutting his face. Mustang sighed, actually growing slightly bored. He'd killed this man numerous times already, yet he never seemed to die. "I promise something new this time."_

_ Immediately, the Lieutenant Colonel stiffened. "What do you mean?"_

_ "Pull the trigger." the monster insisted, bobbing his head. Mustang cocked the gun, raising it to his shoulder for the umpteenth time._

_ "Why are you so happy every time you die?" the raven asked. For a moment, the man's obvious chagrin disappeared._

_ "Why wouldn't I be?" And then he smiled. "I will have no more pain. Ever. I will be free." The crow paused, almost for a dramatic flair. "Or will I?"_

_ "Oh forget it," Mustang snapped, pulling the trigger so he could wake up. The shock of the bigger firearm in this dream knocked the chair against the wall, and then fell forward. Mustang blinked, then gave a huff. He was still in the dream._

_ For good measure, and lack of anything to do, he shot three more shots blindly into the downed man._

_ "Well, how you liking your freedom Xald?" he asked sarcastically, for the first time sparing a glance down at the man. _

_ The raven's feathers fluttered for a moment as he stared down. He'd cliped his own dove's wings._

_ "I always did love the way hair mixed with blood." Xald's breathy chuckle wracked through Mustang._

Mustang woke up, his breath hitching in his throat. The sky outside his bedroom was slowly being blended and lightened into a haze, promising a day as damp as Mustang's persperating skin. He groaned softly and collapsed back onto his worn pillow, his eyes sliding closed for a few more moments of blissful rest. As soon as he danced on the precipice of unconsciousness, a gunshot ripped through his mind, jerking him back up.

His voice escaped in a cloud of exhaustion, "well crap."

~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F

Edward didn't like the rain. It made him think of storms, then tornadoes. That consequently led to Kansas, which of course led to Wizards and heartless tin men. That definitely led to thoughts of munchkins.

"I am not part of the frikkin' lollipop guild." the young blond murderously ground out to the unflinching glass of the window. In the window's reflection he noticed his brother's metallic visage staring at him.

"Brother... how's the paperwork coming?" he said the words as if they were signing a death warrant. His, in fact.

"Oh, it's coming great Al. No dangerous papercuts today. In fact, I think I've made it through the day without any life threatening events." His voice was sharp and almost visibly restrained.

"Fullmetal." It wasn't a question, yet the hailed blond sensed a dread hiding in those words. But, it could've been a hangover.

"Mustang." Ed replied tersely. "Why have you endangered your life so in your visit here?" His words snapped at the elder man.

Mustang's face remained its mask of solid stoicism. "You've been ordered to accompany me and Hughes to Kenter in an investigation of the murder."

On the outside, Edward was cool, countering with a "what? Am I not butchered enough?" but on the inside, he felt like a black hole had opened in his stomach.

"There's no getting out of it, you have to come. Meet me, Hughes, and Hawkeye at the train station at noon tomorrow." and he turned around and left the library. For a moment, a resounding reticence took over the room. Every turn of a page was a gunshot and the musty, usually comforting smell of books was nothing but a dingy basement with a single lightbulb.

A twinge in his ankle.

"Brother...?"

"Alphonse..."

"Y-yeah?"

"Do you remember where I put my suitcase?"

F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~

Honorable Sheriff Julian Conner,

The Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes in the Investigations Division will be journeying to your city to hold an investigation on the death of one of the citizens from your town that occurred in Central. Journeying with him will be Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang, his bodyguard Riza Hawkeye, and his protégé Edward Elric. Please allow them full use of your documents and anything they need that you have at your disposal. They will intrude little.

If he'd read one, he'd read a hundred. For a moment he smiled, then he scowled, then he sneered. They were coming to him. Like pushing down on a flat surface and the water droplets sliding and falling helplessly into a trap. A perfectly executed trap.

Then the letter was refolded, replaced, and resealed in the envelope it came in. Never was it to be known that it had been read before.

F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~

Every bump, an agony. Every time the train would sway, he would cringe. It was unending pain, and the ride was just beginning. So badly did he want to just keep his stoic facade up, yet it was burning into him.

"Hawkeye, remind me when we get back to get a new mattress. This old one isn't cutting it anymore."

"It's not the only thing that's old, sir. Don't place blame elsewhere." she chided quietly, sternly glancing over a book. Mustang felt a childish urge to stomp his foot.

"I'm only as old as you are!" It was petty and it was weak and it was the best the fiery alchemist could come up with. Hawkeye's amber namesakes held his gaze steadily, prompting him to purse his lips. "What?" She blinked, once, and then was unwaveringly staring once again. "What are you looking at?"

"Your gray hair."

"What?" Panic welled up in his throat and he gingerly plucked a random hair out of his head. Consequently he got two, but they were far from twins. One was a dark obsidian, his usual charming jet black status quo. And the other was... dusty. "It's just ash."

"You are a hothead." And that was that. Had it been any other girl, he would've retorted with something charming and won a kiss. Try that with Hawkeye and you get a kick.

"You're telling me." Edward hobbled over and plopped down next to Hawkeye. "It would explain all the hot air."

"Typical..." Roy muttered.

"What? You think I'd side with you over her?" Ed jerked a thumb at Hawkeye, who offered her usual smirk of a smile. "At least she's easy to look at."

Hawkeye's gaze softened as she glanced at the two of them as they bickered. "Lieutenant Colonel, you're rubbing off on Edward." The two of them stopped bickering for a moment to glance at her strangely, and then continued bickering about that. "It's easy to see why everyone thinks of you two as father and son."

Mustang's perfect barb caught in his throat and dug a furrow as he swallowed it. "Not you too!" he groaned and leaned back in his chair. Edward smirked.

"Come on, old man. Lighten up."

"I'm not your father, nor will I ever be. I can't see why anyone would want _that_ job."

"Well, no one asked you to fill out an application." There wasn't a hint of a joke in his words. Mustang opened his eyes to see Edward hobbling away. _Great just swallow your whole foot. _He would've felt worse if the train hadn't jerked and the boy flailed around (rather comically) before falling. Roy heard his groan and then remembered all of the lingering wounds.

"Crap," he muttered, standing up. The small feeling of humor he felt for a moment disappeared and he felt even worse for forgetting the lesions.

"Sir," Hawkeye had placed her book down, a sure sign that she was serious. "Maybe you should just let him be. You know, whenever you two get into fights, you can't talk to him for at least a day without him biting your head off." There was common sense in her words, but Mustang still wanted to help the struggling boy. _Because he is still, just a boy. _Telltale metallic footsteps hurried up behind them.

"Excuse me, have you seen- Brother!" Alphonse stopped as he saw the object of his hunt once again hobbling down the aisle. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ed replied, his voice tight, whether from his previous conversation or pain.

. "Maybe you should go lay down..."

"I told you I'm fine!" the rest of their conversation disappeared into the wind as they changed cars. Mustang sighed in aggravation, crossing his arms and throwing his crossed legs up on the bench across from him.

"Sir, maybe you should concentrate on what we're going to do when we get to Kenter." There was a pause as Mustang thought about her words.

"Well what else? We're going to have an investigation. We'll ask the sheriff what he thinks, then were going to go talk to the people. And, then we're going to leave."

"It's not going to be that simple," Hughes interjected, shoving away Mustang's boots to take their spot next to Hawkeye. "We've got to figure out what he was all the way in Central, and the higher ups would just adore it if we could catch _at least_ a suspect." He let out a quit burp and whispered a small 'scuse me. "You know the food on this train is amazing. I guess they finally decided we were worth first class." After a moment of silence from Mustang, he gently nudged his boot. "You might want to eat something."

"Not hungry Hughes."

"C'mon! You should see the waitress. Of course, she's nothing compared to my lovely wife! You should've seen her the other day, playing with my darling little Elicia! Oooh Roy! She's grown so much! She can almost spell umbrella. I mean, that extra 'L' throws me sometimes."

"God..." Roy muttered, standing up to get away from the crazed dad. He heard the psycho turn to his next victim, and the small slap of a book being closed followed. "Hawkeye," he acknowledged with a slightly amused voice.

"I swear, that man..." the threat was as evident as the cock of a gun.

F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~FF~F~F~F~F~F~F~F

_He was restrained, so familiar was it, the deja vu almost made him sick to his stomach. Something red hazed into his vision, but he couldn't tell if it was rage or... something else._

_ "What do you __**want**__?" His voice cracked, and he coughed, finding he desperately needed a drink of water._

_ "I want you. Back. In my trophy case." He struggled, chains hitting the wall, slamming against the back of his head. Giving up, he glanced around the room, but found nothing except shadows._

_ A scrape, metal against rusted metal. It echoed through the abyss. Jarring, the sound seemed to float around the room, drifting closer to Edward._

_ "Return..." the word was a rush of rancid, hot breath, pushing into his ear and racing across the plane of his cheek. A hiss echoed up from his foot. It was a rush of scales that wrapped around his broken ankle, squeezing it tightly. A gurgling noise rose in the blond's throat as the wraith wound its way up his already pain-wracked body. It took the position of a string of pearls around his neck, and the same burst of hot air accosted him, this time on the other ear. "Does this... metaphorically at least... seem familiar to you?"_

The window made an unlikely alliance with Edward's forehead. His curse echoed around, provoking disapproving stares from the parents around the train car. Al, ever unmoving, slowly raised his head.

"Brother?" his innocence rang around his shell.

"Yeah Al?" he grumbled, rubbing his forehead and glaring out at the now desert surroundings. "How long have I been out?" a tinge of panic entered his voice, so he cleared his throat at Al's questioning glance.

"About an hour. We're almost there. Probably in about ten minutes." The train came to a halting stop. "O-or..." he stuttered, jerking forward in his seat. "Ten seconds."

"I'm back..."

"Your triumphant return," Al's voice was foreboding. The bantam alchemist cleared a lump from his throat as he stood, tugging his suitcase out from under the bench.

"Triumphant my butt," the blond coughed as the spiteful wind brushed a handful dust into his mouth. The squall blew steadily, kicking up dust like a dancer. Though, through all the heat and debris, the wind did little to lessen the utter heat of the desert. "It's so frikkin' hot…" Edward whined, his usual self returning if not for a moment. Alphonse tried to argue it was all a state of mind while the train huffed in agreement with the elder before chugging away sluggishly.

The two groups, the Elrics and the three aged ones, merged as they were stepping down off the station. Not a word was shared, they just glanced at each other in

"Eh," Edward groaned, adjusting his still sore shoulder and switching his suitcase to his other hand. "How long are we going to be here?"

"For at least a couple of days." Hughes exploded, throwing his arm over the diminutive blond's shoulder and forcing him to walk with him. "We're staying in a small hotel. Well, actually a little roach motel, but what else do you want in a ghost town." A diminutive child, smaller than Edward, bumped into the blond before backing up with a squeak and running away. Ed actually glanced at the borough and was shocked to see a new breath in it. Sidewalk vendors sold dessert fruits while others sold jewelry. Children ran around in groups, laughing and sneaking small fruit off of the stands. Hughes, laughing, gently plucked a fruit out of one of the children's hands as they rifled past. "Sneaky little devils," he took a bite.

"Some ghost town," Mustang snorted, arriving beside them. A young man selling jewelry shouted out at Hawkeye, offering an amber stone that sparkled in the sunlight.

"For the pretty lady?" he held it out on a finger, allowing it to hit the sunlight. "It matches your eyes beautifully. Like you were my inspiration as I made it." He gave her a dazzling smile. Hawkeye didn't even spare him a second glance, so he quickly rustled around before we were out of hearing range. "What about this..." and he was gone, his voice blending in with the other businessmen.

"Some cold shoulder you got there. Ever get frostbite?" Hughes asked, cocking an eyebrow at the blonde.

"I have no time to bother with a man selling jewelry, presumably stolen, on the side of the road."

"Stolen?"

"Yeah, I was wondering where he would've gotten a stone like that in the middle of nowhere." Ed snorted, shrugging out from under the older man's arm.

"Yeah. A guy I used to know owned a jewelry store in a town just that way." she pointed to where the train had chugged off. "He had jewels transported from a girl named Clara who owned a shop in Aquroya. Just recently, a shipment disappeared on the way, but no one knew where it went."

"Huh, a town with a sadistic mayor breeds a town of thieves." Hughes mused, examining his stolen fruit.

"Sounds about right," Mustang agreed, keeping an eye as the people of the town kept looking their way. "You haven't said much Fullmetal. It's not like you."

Said blond rolled his eyes and strode ahead of the group. "We're at the City Hall." He muttered, casting his gaze over the tall, somewhat old western-esque buildings.

A window, cast open, allowing in the mild breezes of the town. A memory, small as the child in said retrospection. Slamming the window scared of who the micro, blond traveler could be. Scared it would be a murderer.

Edward blinked, slowly clearing his mind of the kid shutting the window as quickly as possible. Vaguely, he heard his brother saying his name, for what reason he wasn't sure. Either way, he turned around and headed for the dusty building's entrance.

It was as busy as last time, Edward noted. People rushing about with an air of a deadline. Swishing papers back and forth, voices raised to try to overlap the cacophony, and at the center of it all, Honorable Sheriff Julian Conner, conversing quietly with someone who seemed reluctant to believe what he was being told.

"Sheriff," Edward called once he came closer. The graying man glanced at him, and his eyebrow raised.

"The Fullmetal Alchemist…" Julian muttered it more to himself than anyone else, and exchanged glances with the man he had been chatting with. The younger man shrugged and zigzagged off. "What are you doing here?" Under his words, the blond heard notes of a different message, '_Isn't here the last place you want to be?_' "Here with your higher ups I see." He added as Mustang drew closer.

"A letter was sent to you, it should've arrived before we did." The Flame Alchemist explained, glancing around the buzzing office.

Conner turned and held a hand over his shoulder, beckoning and muttering, "Letter… letter… why did no one tell me of this letter?" Exchanging a glance, Ed and Al followed the man, tracing the familiar path they'd taken once before. Even the door breathed familiarity as the office of one departed Xald Stevens.

Edward choked on a particle of dust that picked that moment to slide down his throat. There he was, the object of his ever-there nightmares, haunting him from the safety of shadows. Recalling him back to a singular lightbulb overhanging a memory he wished to remain lost in the back of his mind.

One blink, and the shadow was gone, nebulously disappearing as Conner stood behind the desk. He rustled around for a few minutes, leafing through numerous scraps of paper before unsheathing an official-esque envelope. Slipping out an envelope opener from under the mess he neatly sliced open the letter and read through it.

A small blush rushed to his cheeks and he let out a small cough. "Oh. Well welcome, we've been expecting you." Edward snorted. "Please, just tell me what you need." He gave a small bow, then scooted the procession out of the office, bumping a desk on his way out.

A thump marked the remarkably small journey of the book on said furniture. It landed on the markings of a new chapter.

_De-boning._

"Oh, c'mon Mustang! There's no leads here unless you wanna get lead to jail as a thief," Edward argued, crossing his arms and slinging a leg up on the coffee table. Imputantly, he glared across at his senior. He had to get out of this town, he couldn't stand it there another moment.

Oh, and lets not forget the crappy hotel room. There were spaces under the freaking doors. Spaces!

"We've talked to three people and they didn't even know the guy." Hughes interjected, narrowly dodging the pen projectiled at his head. "Now, now Ed."

"Fullmetal. Calm down, we're only going to be here for a couple days. Breath." Mustang's usual sarcastic and shallow words had a warmer sense to them, but they held no comfort for the aforementioned alchemist. For a moment, a chilly silence broke over the room.

"There. I breathed." Edward snapped, jumping up. His ankle bumped into the table and a hot poker drug it's way through his flesh. He reached for his ankle as he simultaneously fell backwards onto the couch. Desperately, he scraped at his pant leg and bandage; a crazed need to get at the wound underneath. Mustang jerked up, his jaw dropped ready to say the words that someone else spoke first.

"What happened?" Al asked, clanking as he rushed over to his brother. The blond alchemist finally got his bandage off, and as the stained scarlet cotton dropped, so did the blood. It weeped out of the infested wound and scolded the beige cushion red. "You forgot to put on the medicine didn't you?" Al chided, somehow managing to reach into his own armor in a weak spot and pull out a black and white piece of fabric. "Here. It must've just been sitting in there and festering and-"

"Wait!" Mustang nearly jumped across the table to get to the fabric before it soaked up the blood. "I've seen this before." Edward unclenched his eyes and glanced at the fabric. It did look familiar…

Swirling, so white, yet so… so black. Stark, even. Twirling around itself, a child twirling a ribbon, a snake eating its tail.

"The room." The afflicted hissed out through clenched teeth. Hughes and Al locked gazes over Edward's and Roy's.

"This was in the room where Xald got him," Mustang motioned at the shivering body on the couch as he quickly explained to the two confused. Hawkeye quietly shuffled into the room, a glass of water in her grasp. "I've only ever seen this array in textbooks. The textbook is actually fairly rare, this is pretty uncommon stuff. I don't know how many more people would know of this other than…" he trailed off and lowered his gaze. "Where'd you get this?"

"I got it the other day, right before I came to see you at that that crime scene." He explained, his voice panicked.

"It was really windy, perhaps the wind blew it off of the body? I mean it obviously wasn't meant for alchemy," Hughes pointed out a few white tracks through the black ink, proving it incomplete. "Perhaps, something else…?" Edward swallowed the lump growing in his throat and limply rewrapped his inflamed wound.

"There's no doubt that Xald did what he did," Edward started slowly, and couldn't help the feeling he was telling himself more than anybody else. "He would've been executed."

"Yeah, but like all psychotic leaders," Hughes coughed, "he would've had followers." His words were like a dreary drizzle, weighing everything down with it's own color of gray. "I mean, if Mustang can have followers, why can't a mayor?" He quickly added.

"They just want the mini skirts!" Edward snarled a little more violently than necessary. "He couldn't have escaped could he? I mean, he's already been executed…" there was a hint of desperation in the young boy's voice. "Right? But wait, lets not forget the military's habit of missing certain people. How many people do they actually execute?" Edward's voice rose an octave in despondency.

And everyone began to bicker, their voices each rising to cover the others. Thereupon, a knock cut through the arguing, singular and solid. Everyone stopped simultaneously, only to stare at the door. It seemed to be ages before another sound entered the threshold. A scratch, pawing at the wooden door like an insistent cat followed it. It started at the top then ran it's way from the apical of the door to the floor. Upon hitting the floor, it stopped for a moment and a snicker rumbled under the door.

"Return…" it tittered, high and humorous. Every wound on Edward's body began to throb and he let out a gasp, the familiar inert pinch of metal ethereally ghosting around his wrists, coldly kissing his palpitating ankle. _Every dream… every night… every second and every wound…_

A hand, capable of gashing with pointed nail, slowly curled under the door and affixed itself to the wood in the door, splintering the boards as it slowly gyrated around, the paint chipping off in a delineation of something familiar and recognized.

The hand floated away from the wood for a moment, then clasped desperately at it. A flash of blue lightening, and every light in the room went out, as though the final splash in a synchronized swim routine. Mustang snapped his finger and lit a candle on the table, casting an eerie and sickly glow over the room. One more snap illuminated the door for a brief moment, showing one eye, turned sideways trying to sneak a peek, and a grin, toothy and immense. The fire burned the teeth scarlet and blood-crusted, the eye bloodshot.

His next words were a too-familiar hiss, "my trophy…"

* * *

_Okay, I just want to let you know this last bit, I hope it was kind of scary. I was sitting in my chair, trying to type this up and I would get writer's block every couple of words, I would turn to the tv, then turn to the empty dark hallway, freak myself out, bite my nail, write, then repeat -.- I couldn't concentrate and I kept scaring myself with that stupid hand. Hoped you liked it :D_


	4. Lurch

_Wow, it has been awhile. This little sucker's been sitting on my computer for awhile. I hope you enjoy it after the wait and it was worth it ^^_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. It belongs to it's owner.  
_

* * *

The first thing comprehensible to the blond alchemist was the resistance as he tried to open his eyes. The small slit available to see through was nothing but a red veil, scratchy and crossing in a pattern reminiscent of fabric. He shifted, his shoulders rising as he twisted his head around. Something kept his wrists pinned down to the wooden frame of a chair, same with his ankles. He stopped his attempts at wiggling free when his sore ankle hit the leg of the chair and sent vibrations of pain through his body like a tuning fork.

So far, he was waking up to a pretty crappy day.

Muted whispers surrounded him in a circle, and he turned his head in cycles, trying to catch a sample of what was being said.

"_Is he… when is… isn't that man… I heard he was… Fullmetal…"_ the last word was breathed next to his face, hissing like the oh-so-familiar snake. Edward flinched back and caused his chair to rock slightly. "Full Metal…" he re pronounced it as two words. "I'm so glad you're here… _we're_ so glad you're here."

"Where's here? Who are you? Where's my brother?" He snapped out his questions in a rapid-fire succession. A chuckle sparked from beside him, then spread around the room in a spiral. It unnerved the small prodigy in the center of it all.

"Your brother, and your other friends, are knocked out in the luggage cart of the train already halfway back to Central." He could sense the smile and it seared into his consciousness.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Edward snarled, trying to sound as ferocious as possible (even tied to a chair).

"I want what was unfairly borrowed. You were stolen," a hand caressed his chin in a fondness only suitable for a close friend. Ed snapped at the hand with his teeth, keeping his head away from where he imagined the man was.

"Xald was right, you are feisty." The voice whispered from behind him, totally different from where the blond thought he was. He let out a sharp shout of shock as the man's breath ghosted across his face from the front, then chuckled to his right. Unease grew in a pitri dish in his stomach as the man continued to change his position.

"_Who are you?_" Edward pleaded to his left, where he thought the man remained. An annoyed groan escaped as the man chuckled from his right.

"A concerned friend. You were in the wrong hands. And in the wrong hands," A tearing, followed by five small pricks of cold sounded as something tore through the sleeve of the alchemist's left arm. "Trophies can get scratched." The five icicles dug into his arm and scorched up to his elbow, leaving deep trenches. A curse rang out and the boy thrashed around.

"What is with you _freaks_?" Edward snapped, this time up to the ceiling. The whispering stopped as though it had hit a theoretical brick wall.

"We, are not freaks," the man hissed breathlessly, seemingly sincerely angered. Vapid footsteps circled the chair before stopping in front of the prodigy. His hands grasped at Edward's arms, squeezing intentionally on the wound. "If anyone's a freak, it's you my little friend-"

"Who are you calling so small they can ride on a maggot? You sadistic freak!" With one fluid movement, Edward drew his head back, ramming it forward and smiling mirthlessly when it collided with the man's nose. The small flecks of liquid that spurted onto his face did nothing to damper his mood. "That's right, I called you a freak! And on top of that, I tagged sadistic." He continued with his rant. "What is with you guys? Killing because I'm blond? Isn't there a word for that… oh yeah. Crazy. I'm hardly a teenager and I've got freaking psychopaths following me around, wining because they've never seen my hair color. I'm impressionable, dang it…" he muttered the last, finishing his rant like a teakettle running out of steam, dropping it's lid, and building up some more. The silence in the air was distilled, addicting so much, Ed found himself wishing it would never go away.

A pensive foot tap sounded directly in front of Edward. Then it extended into multiple staccato knocks, aggravating as much to the blond as anything he'd ever heard. Then they turned into running footsteps, rushing in a straight path right at him, a growl steadily droning louder as the man drew closer. Then his footsteps disappeared.

"You impudent little whelp!" the man thundered, his knee ramming into Edward's stomach. The impact teetered the chair, prompting it to tip over backwards. Gravity further drove the assault's knee into the prodigy's stomach. The air escaped in a huff from the blond, leaving him gagging and struggling to regain his air. Two hands collided with the ground beside the alchemist's head in an effort to keep the man from flying past like someone over the handlebars of a bike. One hand's presence disappeared, only to reappear in a fist.

"You're tired to a chair, have no clue who you're dealing with, and you think you can _insult_ me?" his voice was incredulous, and he punched the boy with every point. The eye, the mouth, the nose. Painfully hot tears burned in the ducts of Edward's eyes as the cartilage gave a shy crunch, blood sluggishly crawled down to playfully dam up on the curve of his lips before spilling over into his mouth.

"Yes," Ed could've kicked his nature as it spurted out the retort, coughing around the mellifluous red that coated his tongue and throat. The only thing he knew physically of the man lined up against the blond's cheekbones, piquing glacially on his hot skin.

"You won't be quiet will you?" he hissed hotly. In a quick motion the nails sliced down his cheek like a hungry cat. They lingered but for a moment on his chin, before continuing in a slow trek down his neck.

"What do you want?" Edward seethed a curse as his shout caused his neck to jump, pushing the dagger-esque nails further into his skin.

"I want you to shut up! Trophy's are to be seen not heard!" His knee pushed a little harder and his nails dug in a little further.

"Why," Edward bit out, "do you have the same fascination as that creep?" Maybe, as an afterthought, creep wasn't the right word.

"Xald was not a creep," his voice held a note of maddened desperation. The nails thankfully quit their path down to his heart, only to clench his bleeding neck. "He could've been an artist!" It tightened. "The way he thought of colors…" the man's voice was awed, as if he wished he had that kind of artistic talent. "What that man could do with the color red." The grip tightened even more.

The blond's breathing became jumpy, bringing in huge quantities of oxygen, but only small streams of it making it down his air pipe. His head jerked to the side, only to run into what he could only guess was the man's arm. His mind felt like it was spinning in tune with the world, held on a string by a malicious three year old. Tightening his jaw, he swung his head over and dug his teeth into the man's arm.

The screech that met Edward's ears assured him he'd met his mark, and bit even harder, feeling a bit pit bullish. The muscles he was straining in his neck that had been scratched were chiding him, but he wouldn't give in until the man stopped choking him. Finally, the hand relinquished his neck, only to beat him on the back of his head.

"Let go!" the man shouted. He continued to beat Edward's still-sore head, prompting winces. "Get him off of me!" Suddenly, several pairs of hands ascended, poking and pulling. They yanked, trying to get the blond off, but he had yet to let go. Instead, he dug in deeper, sawing his teeth and trying to cause as much pain as possible.

The alchemist's jaw dropped open, his chest feeling strangely empty and painless. Then the pain shot through his ankle like a lance as the person clenching it gave another squeeze. The lazy punch thrown into his cheek wasn't even registered as he gasped. A small sense of vertigo overcame him as someone lifted his chair back.

"Show some respect," a man hissed strangely in front of Edward. Then kicked him in the ankle. The beginnings of a lament was uttered before the prodigy clenched his teeth and swallowed it, feeling like the string his mind had been swinging on had snapped, sending it crashing down to his feet. Slowly, he unscrewed his eyes, still seeing nothing but vivid red. He opened his mouth in a puff of pent-up air, redrawing in ether with a shudder.

"Gentlemen," the main man snapped, his voice hurt as though Edward had taken a bite out of his pride. "I don't want you to give away our surprise yet to the boss." Edward's heart nearly stopped beating. "I wanna tie a bow on him first."

F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F

Mustang found it hard to breathe. He was slouched over funny, his lungs complaining and mutinously holding back on oxygen. The piece of fabric tied around and through his mouth bit roughly into the sides of the opening, propping it open enough so that it felt as cottony as the cloth itself. He tried to swipe his tongue around, but found no moisture on that either.

The room the flame alchemist sat in was round, and a few feet from the walls were pillars, all identical to the one he was leaning against. The ceiling was tall, reaching up like a circus tent. In fact, the whole place reminded him of a circus. Save for the lack of color, the whole place was gray. The ground itself felt of marble, webbed intricately with swirls and lines.

People circled the room, staring intently at something at the center, said thing blocked out by the body of a man, a pair of sharpened nails tapping his thigh impatiently.

Immediately, Mustang made to stand, wondering about the lack of his acquaintances and sure as heck going to ask that guy. But, as soon as his leg moved, someone stepped obnoxiously on it, pressing it in a way it wasn't supposed to bend.

"You don't move." The man stated, gruff and definite. Mustang glared up at the man. He was unbelievably pale and unbelievably thick, his leg an unmoving post. "Got it." If Roy's pointedly vehement glower meant anything to the man, it was submission. His gam was removed, and while the man still had it off the ground, the alchemist acted.

Though Mustang's hands were tired behind his back, he used them as leverage, leaning against the flattened palms and shooting a leg out, meaning to trip the man. The man's shin caught the impact without much more than a jiggle, then acted on his own behalf by jerking his shank up and stomping down on Mustang's leg. With a flourish, the flame alchemist twisted his other leg around to try and dislodge the man, but to no avail. He merely grabbed the offending leg and twisted it, then slammed it down into the ground. Desperately, as Mustang tried to snap his fingers he found not the usual friction of stark white gloves, but his unnaturally soft fingers.

"Looking for something lightening bug?" he asked, holding up a pair of limp white ghosts, small black diagrams drawn on them. Snorting, the man continued, "Just sit down and shut up. Heck, watch the show." He bent a finger and knocked him Roy on the head with the knuckle lightly. "You might see something you like."

As if an unheard que rang out, the circle of people started whispering. Glancing at each other and the thing in the middle, they gossiped only a few snatches of conversation being heard by the coal-headed man. Finally, the man moved, revealing the golden prodigy.

Mustang would've gasped had it been within his physical capabilities at the moment. Edward was tied to the chair, his legs to the chair's and his arms done up the same. A red cloth was tied over his eyes, prompting the way his head was turning this way and that, trying to discern one voice from another. The scene was all too familiar to his dream to be comfortable. Nails (for better lack of a name) stepped in, whispering something just a bit to close to the boy's cheek for Mustang's liking. He made another attempt to get up, but was stopped by the man and rewarded with a rope tying him to the pillar.

What happened after was something Mustang could only define as sadism vs. golden boy's temper. In the end, Mustang was cringing and jerking against his rope like a dog on a chain.

"I wanna tie a bow on him first." The man said, and then turned around to look at Mustang. His eyebrows rose in an unspoken challenge. The flame alchemist gave a particularly violent tug on the rope, feeling virtually no give. The look the man gave him was so full of contempt, Roy thought he might drown in it for a moment.

Nails started to walk towards him, his eyes appraising him. Mustang felt his rage roaring just behind the gag. A few more steps, Roy drew himself up, staring the man in the face and regarding the blood covering half of his face with a small sense of pride. Kneeling down beside the alchemist, Nails put a single sharp namesake under his chin, poking lightly to turn up Mustang's face.

With every fiber of his being, Roy wanted nothing more than to hit the guy in the head like his protégé had done, but the thought that he might say something important kept nagging him. Plus, it might make things worse.

The man continued to lean in, his hot breath fanning across his cheek. With a huff Roy inched his head to the side, leering sideways at the man's jeering smile. The nail dug in a little further and he grew closer still, obviously ignoring Edward's taunts and jibes at his cowardice.

Nails chuckled, low and husky. Breath escaping in low puffs that smelled fetid. His nail dug in a big deeper, before withdrawing it. His blue eyes flashed humorously as Mustang jerked once again against his restraints. He didn't speak again until he was halfway between the two alchemists, facing the thrashing blond.

"Tug all you want dog, you're not getting free," then he shot a pointed look over his shoulder.

"Wanna bet?" Edward replied snarkily, jerking his head blindly and tugging his arms.

"Yes," the man said, looking content with himself and then turning back to the blond. "I would." Then, his body froze like an idea struck him. "But, just to be fun, what do you think the odds are that you'd be able to escape. There's twenty-five people to your one."

"There's no doubt. I could do it blindfolded." The man made a gesture with his hands, and four men aligned them selves each to a bound limb, knives in hand. "I'd have you lot knocked into next week and out of here before you can say salami." Missing the cocky look on his face would've been impossible. The man made another gesture and the men acted quick, slicing through Edward's bindings.

"Stand up, Fullmetal." The man said, and Edward seemed to be sitting in shock. Nails tensed his body and ran forward. "Salami!" he roared, jumping up and aiming to kick the boy in the chest.

Acting on blind instincts, Edward ducked, missing the kick, and clapped his hands together. With a small whoosh of power, his hands hit the ground and a buzzing of anticipation entered the room. "Aw crap."

"You think I'm that stupid?" And as Roy looked at it, he could see the whirling patterns on the marble were indeed the familiar array. "Still you think you can handle me?"

"I can handle all of you!" Edward snapped, reaching up to grasp at his blindfold as he stood. The man acted quicker than anyone Roy'd ever seen. He jerked behind the blond, slapping the hand away and grabbing the trailing hands in a clenched fist. Simultaneously, he kicked out a leg and jerked on the blindfold. Edward's legs slipped out from under him and was jerked down onto the ground. He let out a pained gasp.

"You said you could do it blindfolded. Cocky child," the man raised a foot to stomp down on Edward's ankle. The blond acted first, kicking out his legs and catching the man's raised one in-between. He twisted, bringing his torturer down next to him. The alchemist rose to a kneel, then punched the man where he figured his face was.

"Cocky sadist!" Edward shouted, punching once again. He stumbled into standing, then without a destination in mind he took off running. Strangely, no one stopped the boy as he tumbled through, in fact they stood aside on his escape route that led directly to him hitting one of the curved walls. Fullmetal swore loudly, before sticking out his arms and working his way around the room blindly. Then, he merely let his fingers trail against the wall as he rushed, limping heavily. His other hand was fumbling with the tight blindfold, unable to lift it or untie it.

The man beside Roy chuckled darkly, prompting a look from the flame alchemist. The man allowed his gaze to slide from the fumbling blond.

"Things are going to get real interesting real soon." As soon as the words left the man's mouth, Edward's fingers brushed into the thin air that occupied the doorway. He let out a loud 'ha' of excitement, and the air around the room seemed to shimmer with expectancy.

One step, his foot exited the threshold.

A loud 'thrum' echoed around the room, prompting the blond in the doorway to pause. Edward let out a shout of shock as his feet were ripped out from under him, hefted up to the top of the long doorway. His head cracked against the granite flooring, dragging slightly before he was hefted high enough for it to make clearance. He jerked harshly once his feet were as high up as they were going to go, lurching down before snapping back up again like a marionette on a drunk's cord.

His mouth hung upon and he gasped harshly, his arms hanging limply under him. A silver bauble jerked from it's home and went crashing down to the ground like a falling star. It cracked open, spinning uncontrollably before grinding to a halt under the foot of Nails. His sharp hand came up to pat Edward's scratched cheek. Mustang jerked against his ropes more violently, earning a chuckle from the large man beside him that sent more fuel to

"My name's Eric Buster, so nice of you to drop in."

F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~F~

Alphonse would've blinked had he had eyelids. His body didn't physically ache, but his mind cried out whereas his body couldn't. A few lights lined the top of where he was, showing a brown wooden ceiling identical to the walls. The room jumped and rocked. Ragged lumps blocked out part of his vision, so he rubbed his eyes. Turned out to be something hovering over him.

It bent closer and closer still, Al tried to dissolve into the wood but that was about as useful as a cat trying to sew a cashmere sweater. Slowly, it's tongue reached out and licked at his armored face with a gentle 'bah.'

Defeated, Al waved off the sheep with a hand, thankful that this time he actually had a hand to wave them off with. _Why always me?

* * *

Sorry, I couldn't resist the ending. I hope you enjoyed it ^^ *cyber Starbucks and goodies to all*_


End file.
